


What are you hiding, Tony?

by Reirani



Category: Greek and Roman Mythology, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Civil War Team Iron Man, Consequences, Gen, Not Steve Friendly, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Tony's secret
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-10-28 21:07:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17794769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reirani/pseuds/Reirani
Summary: "The damages he sustained from the fight caused some pieces of shrapnel pierced his lungs. Dr. Helen Cho had to refer to another doctor, who managed to successfully perform surgery on him, but his lungs are smaller now and he has a difficult time getting enough air in his lungs as a result.”“He’s not completely healed?”“It’ll be a miracle if he is.”“How is it possible that you look like you’re ready to take on the world?”-------Rhodey knew his best friend is hiding something from him - there was no way someone who was on the brink of death and was bedridden for days to be suddenly up and about as if nothing had happened.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for not updating 'Letting Go' after so many months. I had my wisdom teeth taken out (three of them), and in the same month, I quit my old job and got a new one. I'm working with kids for six days a week in my new job, so Sunday is my only day-off. On top of trying to adjust to this new schedule, I got into a major car accident that required me to do physical therapy, so I haven't had time to just sit and write. I know I should be updating 'Letting Go' instead of starting a new one, but this idea was nagging me to write. 
> 
> So, here it is.

Tony groaned half-tiredly and half in pain as he pulled himself upright as best as he could. He inwardly cursed Rogers, and perhaps, Barnes for his current situation.

He sighed once more as he pressed the release button on his suit to remove the armor. It wouldn't do him any good if he got trapped in his damaged suit in the Siberia… in a HYDRA base with possible HYDRA agents lurking about.

“If I wasn’t who I am, I would've died from that blow to the chest.” He muttered under his breath, and exhaled deeply. “Never mind that my Arc Reactor and the pieces of shrapnel in my heart would've caved in from an attack by a super soldier.”

He let out a painful groan as he leaned against the cold wall, and glanced at his watch, trying to figure out an estimate on the backup armor that he called for before he confronted Rogers and Barnes. He still had about three minutes before FRIDAY arrive with his Mark LII – in the meantime, he was going to stay still and try to stay inconspicuous as possible.

It wouldn’t do him or anyone else any good if he showed all of his cards here, especially when he knew there were hidden cameras littered in the base.

He gingerly rubbed his ribs, already knowing the damages without having a doctor look at it – he would be extremely lucky if one of those broken ribs didn’t pierce his previously damaged lungs. In fact, he felt it was a miracle that he was still conscious with this injured body.

Tony exhaled once more, silently watching the white smog coming from his breath due to the frigid air, and then inhaled just as deeply. He paused in his mid-action when his breath itched and coughed a few times before he paused once more when he noticed red droplets in between his hands.

“Shit.”

♤☆♤☆♤☆♤☆♤

Rhodey resisted the urge to glare at the group – the Rogue Avengers as the media previously called them – despite his promise to his best friend that he'd try to be amicable. He didn't know what he was thinking when he made that promise, but it was too late to take it back now.

“Rhodey, it's good to see you walking again.” Steve greeted with a handshake and a smile.

“I'm so sorry, man.” Sam apologized belatedly for the attack. “I'm glad you are doing fine.”

He nodded at Sam's apology, knowing that such incident was bound to happen when they fight amongst themselves. He then looked over to the group, silently regarded their tired visages while knowing that he looked the same as well.

“It's good to know that you finally signed the Accords.” He started, but raised a hand to stop whatever Clint was going to say to slander his best friend. “For the record for the umpteenth time, Tony didn't have a hand in this except to amend it in our favor. Ross, who was behind your capture, has been arrested with evidences collected by Tony and FRIDAY. And if you had read the Accords, you'd know that it is the wish of people from 117 countries, not just the government.”

“Speaking of Stark, did he think he’s too good to come and meet us?” Clint sneered with a scoff.

Rhodey resisted the urge to clock the archer for that remark, and bit back the scathing remark that was on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he schooled his expression to mask the anger boiling within him as he shot a dark look towards Steve and Barnes, who was standing near the back.

“No thanks to you, Rogers. Tony has to meet with a doctor every week to make sure he is healing properly.”

A small unnoticeable smirk appeared on his expression when he saw the shocked expression from the group before him. Furthermore, he couldn’t believe that some of them looked at him in disbelief and in suspicion, almost as if they thought he was making up this.

Were they really this idiotic to think that he would conjure up something ominous as this?

“But it’s been a month since we last saw Tony.” Steve protested with a frown.

“That’s what happens when you slam a vibranium shield to someone who is baseline human.” Rhodey responded with a scoff, and added, “You know that Tony also has pieces of shrapnel in his chest and Arc Reactor. He flat-lined a couple of times, but it’s a miracle that he is alive after it all.”

“So, the doctors were able to help him?”

He flicked his gaze over to Natasha when he heard her inquiry, and replied with a, “The damages he sustained from the fight caused some pieces of shrapnel pierced his lungs. Dr. Helen Cho had to refer to another doctor, who managed to successfully perform surgery on him, but his lungs are smaller now and he has a difficult time getting enough air in his lungs as a result.”

“He’s not completely healed?” Scott questioned with furrowed brows.

“It’ll be a miracle if he is.” Rhodey had to scoff at the question, and added before anyone could say anything further. “After all, he had several complications when that shield broke some ribs.”

“Can we go see him, Rhodey?” Steve questioned almost pleadingly.

♤☆♤☆♤☆♤☆♤

Tony blinked languishingly at the florescent light in the med-bay – a room Dr. Solace forced him to remain until he could breathe without an oxygen mask strapped to his face. His newly patched lungs made it difficult for him to do such simple task, and he knew that his days as Iron Man was over.

He would be lucky if he could complete day-to-day tasks without bowling over.

“You really did a number on your mortal self, bro.”

He gave a startled jump at that remark, and looked over to the direction of the voice to see a familiar face – a casually dressed young man standing next to an identical young woman. He looked at them for a few seconds before a smirk made his way on his expression and a semi-amused feeling blanketed his person.

“Dr. Solace, or should I say, Apollo? I can’t believe you chose to be my doctor. And you brought Artemis too.” Somehow those names slipped from his mouth before his attempt to remember their proper names.

“You do realize that your magic is the only reason why you're still alive right, Anthony?” The young woman – Artemis – chided in a soft tone that made him feel ashamed.

“I know, Artemis. Apollo… fix me…” He whined rather pitifully (a tone he wouldn't dare to use in front of others) to the honey-blonde haired male with azure blue eyes.

He almost sighed triumphantly when Apollo gave an exasperated smile and rolled up the sleeves. Artemis patted him on the head, as if he was a mere child again, as she reassured him that everything would be fine.

“You could just shed your mortal form, and your magic would heal your wounds.” Apollo commented in a no-nonsense tone.

Tony gave an owlish look in response, and uttered, “How do I do that? That is a thing? I could do that?”

“Right, I forget that you're the one of the youngest in our family. They removed your knowledge on how to do this just because they're paranoid that you'll reveal yourself. What was father thinking you're ready for the mortal world? I’ll transfer you the knowledge while I heal you. Be grateful, bro.”

He gave a hopeless shrug in response as if that answered the question, and waited for Apollo to undo the spell. He watched in a semi-transfixed manner when the older man lifted his chin, and stared in a spellbound manner at those amber eyes that glowed in an unearthly manner.

It was an unnatural feeling that made him feel drunk – almost like that one time in his youth when he drank several bottles of scotch and didn’t feel drunk at all. He closed his eyes when the light became too bright for his eyes, and simply focused on the warm sensation blanketing his person.

Upon reopening his eyes, the first thing he did was winced when his senses assaulted him – it startled him how keen his immortal senses were. It took him a few seconds to suppress his sharp senses, and turned to look at Apollo and Artemis, who were still in their mortal forms, with a grateful smile. The second thing he noted was that his wounds – including the Arc Reactor embedded in his chest – had been healed. The third thing he realized was that he could feel his abilities he previously suppressed itching to burst from him, and in a sense, he felt stronger than before.

“Good to see you in your proper form, Hephaestus.” Artemis spoke with a smile that she only reserved for family. “There is a reason why we are here – aside from making sure you didn’t kill yourself with your foolishness, of course. Father has called for a meeting at Olympus with all Dodekatheon in two days’ time.”

“It’s been a while since we had a meeting.” Tony murmured with concern laced in his tone. “What do you think this would be about?”

“Most likely of a certain Norse God bringing enemies from Beyond to our realm, considering that has been our previous topic that we never finished discussing.” Apollo responded with a sigh, and paused momentarily as if in concentration. “You might want to transform back to your mortal form, baby brother. Your group of mortal companions are heading this way.”

He looked at the God of the Sun in surprise at the information, but gave a nod of understanding as he concentrated on his powers to transform back into his Anthony Stark form. It was easier and faster now that he had the knowledge to do so; besides, he is one of the Gods known of his intelligence.

“Well, this would be a fun topic to explain to them.” Tony commented dryly.

He was not looking forward to facing the group when they opened the door.

“Don’t forget to arrive on time for the meeting. It’s baffling how a God such as yourself can be late to meetings.” Artemis reminded with a pointed look.

“It’s a well-honed skill, sis.”

However, that quip fell on deaf ears when the two Gods disappeared – teleported, most likely – just as he sensed footsteps outside of his med-bay.

“I’m so not looking forward to this, or the upcoming meeting.”

♤☆♤☆♤☆♤☆♤

Rhodey stared at the scene before him, trying to ensure that he was not hallucinating in any shapes or forms, and failed to compute – not that he was a computer – how it was possible for Tony to be up and about. When he saw his best friend mere two hours ago, the genius looked ready to kneel over; but now…

“How is it possible that you look like you’re ready to take on the world?” He blurted out.

“That's because I'm awesome like that, honey bear.” Tony's airily answer did not explain anything at all. In fact, it only strengthened his resolve to figure out the _real_ explanation.

“Are you sure you're okay, Tony?” He could not help but ask warily.

“Yep. I'm totally fine, Rhodey. You could say that Dr. Solace is a miracle worker. I wouldn't mind having him as my personal doctor. In fact, Jarvis sweetheart, make a note of that, will you?”

Rhodey, on the other hand, merely squinted at his best friend as if he was attempting to decipher an unknown. There was something interestingly different about Tony that he had difficulties pinpointing.

“I wanted to let you know that Rogers and the others have arrived.” He decided to pause with his suspicions momentarily to address the current predicament.

Yet, he could not stop looking thoroughly flabbergasted when Tony merely raised a brow at the statement, and seemed uncaring about the presence of Rogers or former fugitives. It was as if there had been a change unbeknownst to him in the minutes that he spent greeting the group.

“Well, show them where their rooms are and all that.” Tony replied flippantly with a hand wave to emphasize the point. “Thor mentioned that he is bringing Reindeer Games, so we'd know what we're going to be up against. We'll be having a meeting tomorrow morning at the conference room.”

“What! You're bringing _Loki_ here?” Clint all but shouted with narrowed eyes. “Did you forget what he's done, Stark?”

“Of course, how could we forget?” His best friend replied dryly with an eye roll. His eyes hardened upon meeting the archer's seething gaze, and the playfulness immediately disappeared. It was as if he was staring at a completely different person altogether. “We merely annihilated a small portion of the Chitauri army Loki had brought. In what history did anyone win a war by merely defeating a handful of foot soldiers? If you really believe that Loki was the mastermind behind the invasion, you are really foolish. We need to be prepared for the true enemy behind the attack.”

Despite the logic behind those words, Rhodey still felt that his best friend seemed thoroughly different than before. He felt like he was staring at someone completely new.

♤☆♤☆♤☆♤☆♤

It irked Rhodey that he still couldn't decipher the sudden change in his best friend. As he looked at the man sitting across the round table among new Avengers (Peter Parker – Spiderman, and King T'Challa – Black Panther) and the old ones, it startled him how nonplussed Tony was. Even the glowering eyes of Nick Fury didn't phase his best friend at all.

“Stark, are you listening?”

Instead of apologizing or trying to seem like Tony was paying attention, the billionaire simply raised a quizzical brow in response and continued to be busy with that cellphone in hands.

“Nicky, we all have better things to do than to listen to your rant about alien invasion.” Tony's eerily chaste remark left the SHIELD director in a sputtering mess. “It already happened, woe is us. Let's find a solution to deal with this instead of sitting around here and complaining.”

“Stark, this isn't like you.” Natasha remarked with narrowed calculating eyes.

Rhodey frowned when his best friend merely shrugged in response and uttered, “Well, _someone_ brought an invasion to our backyard, and I don't like that _we_ have to clean up this mess.”

Somehow, he had the feeling that ‘ _we'_ seemed to imply someone entirely different than what he presumed to be them – Avengers. Nevertheless, silence blanketed the room after that callous remark, even after Thor murmured an apology for Loki. The other members of their ragtag group seemed baffled by the seemingly new attitude of usually nonchalant Tony Stark. On the other hand, Nick Fury looked thoroughly incensed at the billionaire and was attempting to calm down.

“Sir, there is a visitor in the elevator, heading your way.”

JARVIS’s voice startled him and everyone out of their musing. However, it confused him that someone was visiting the tower because everyone, especially ones registered as an Avenger, was already present for the meeting.

So, who was this newcomer?

Rhodey glanced over to his best friend, who paused in mid-scroll on that cellphone to flick a look over to the elevator when the contraption opened. Standing behind those doors was a young man with messy brunette hair and amber eyes, dressed in a black biker attire. Aside from the unearthly charismatic aura, it irked him that this newcomer looked akin to a celebrity or a model based on that bad boy looks. 

“Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in. _I_ never thought you'd visit me.” Tony greeted the newcomer with unearthly ease and blatant mocking tone.

“Yeah, well, I never thought I'd have to come either.” Their brunette haired and amber eyes guest replied with bored nonchalance. “There's been a change of plans. The twins are going ahead with their group since one of your sources located a breach hidden amid their weapons. It seemed they're using those leftover powers as a door to get over to this side.”

It seemed Tony knew and understood what their guest meant when he heard, “I'm more surprised that you chose to remain here, Ares.”

Rhodey raised a brow quizzically when Ares shrugged in response, and said, “It's my plan no matter what dearest sister says. So, I get to say who goes and we all know that I'm too awesome for that little skirmish. Besides, Norse pantheon doesn't seem to be cleaning up after the mess they brought to our backyard.”

The latter remark was directed to Thor and Loki, who was warily eyeing at Ares. It looked like their residential Gods didn't know Ares, and the meaning behind that statement.

“They don't have the means to mass transport their armies even if they wish to help.” Tony replied, sounding exactly like he knew what he was talking about. “We all know King Odin's stance on mortals and helping them.”

Why did he get the feeling that the mention of "mortals" sounded like his best friend was not one?

“Father isn't any better. He thinks it's a waste of time and resources.” Ares shrugged with an exasperated look. “Uncle P and Uncle H doesn’t think so. Hence, the reason why we are mobilizing despite father's vehement protests. But we all know he secretly agrees with our reasoning since he isn't stopping us.”

“Why do I get the feeling that you convinced them?” His best friend gave a resigned sigh and a fond exasperated look. “In any case, I'm guessing you specifically came here for a reason.”

“Stark, who the hell is this?”

That was what Rhodey would like to know as well, but Nick managed to get a word in before he could. From what he could tell based on their expressions, the others were just as – if not more – curious as he was. Although those calculated narrowed gazes from Thor and Loki made him aware that their Norse Gods knew this little secret and wasn't feeling generous enough to share with the rest of them. 

Ares smirked at the remark, and said rather nonchalantly, “We could use your help,” as if he had not heard the inquiry.

“Tell me the real reason, Ares.” Tony gave an unconvincing flat look, and seemed to have ignored Nick's question. “You're not the one to come out here and specifically request for _my_ help. We all know the twins got a handle on the situation.”

“Do I need to spell it out for you?”

His best friend sighed almost reluctantly in response, and muttered something in a tone so quiet that he didn't hear the words. Nevertheless, the billionaire gave an unconvinced flat look with a brow raised to say, “Do I need to catch you with my wife again?”

Wife? WIFE? Since when was Tony married? How come he, the supposed best friend, did not know anything about this? When was this wedding? And how come he wasn't invited? 

“We both know that she came on to me.” Ares responded stubbornly with crossed arms. “Besides, she and I haven't gone on a date since you left to go on your little journey. Personally, I think she misses you and regret her actions, considering she's staying faithful to you.”

“I highly doubt it.” Tony scoffed with a bitter chuckle. “She probably just like the idea of getting two brothers to bed her. Anyways, send me what you need.”

“For the records, we're not involving our children. They deserve the rest after what they've been through.” Ares added with a frown while handing over a long list.

CHILDREN? Since when did Tony have children? He didn't even know when his best friend got married and gotten children.

He had a feeling he was missing some crucial information. He also found it strange that Tony  **accepted** something handed to him, especially when everyone knew that Tony Stark doesn't accept anything handed to him. 

“Of course not. We're not heartless to ask them to fight our fights.” Tony replied with a scoff and looked at the list handed to him. “At least, not this one. Regardless, I'll have this done by tomorrow. I know you want to go after the twins and provide backup. Or just to see how they are handling things.”

“You know me so well.” Ares smirked with a fond eyeroll. “I do hope you’ll be prompt for the meeting tomorrow.”

“I’ll do my best. No promises.” His best friend responded with a cheeky smirk.

"Stark, what in the world was that about?" Nick all but demanded with a glare that only returned with a teasing grin. 

"Wouldn't you like to know?" However, Tony did not provide any explanation whatsoever despite dark glares shot from a certain pirate, and merely gave them a mischievous yet teasing smirk... almost as if the billionaire was expecting them to solve this mystery. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath after Ares left... and Tony had it up to here with everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still haven't decided if this will be multi-chapter, but for now, it'll be two-shots.

“Stark! What the hell was that about?”

Rhodey would have laughed at how red Nick Fury’s face was, if he was not curious about Tony’s secret as well. By now, he accepted the fact that his best friend, supposedly, was hiding something big from him. After all, in the years that he had known the billionaire – going as far as to their M.I.T. years – Tony never had a steady relationship that lasted, and the relationship with Pepper (if he could call their on/off relationship a proper one) was by far the longest one.

Moreover, from that conversation with Ares (who in the world would name their kid Ares?), he gathered that Tony has a wife and children. How the hell did that happen, and why doesn’t he know about it?

“Stark, you will tell us!” The SHIELD director all but demanded while slamming on the table to get that point across.

Interestingly, Tony looked unfazed by the yell and the number of curious gazes, and simply responded with eyeroll. All in all, the former Iron Man (he still could not wrap his mind around the fact that Tony couldn’t be Iron Man anymore) let out a deep sigh as if giving an explanation was a chore.

“I don’t have to tell you anything.” Tony retaliated in an eerily calm yet cold tone that cut through Fury’s rant.

“So, Mr. Stark, you have a wife and children?” Peter Parker questioned curiously.

Rhodey had to give the kid merits for being brave to ask that question and for not flinching when Tony directed that steel gaze unto him.

“From an arranged marriage several years back.” Tony answered with a mock smile, as if the very thought infuriated him. “We don’t have the best relationship, if you’re curious. It’s quite interesting how she finally stops frolicking with Ares.”

“And you allow her?” Natasha asked with narrowed calculating eyes.

“I don’t control her. She can do whatever she wants to do, and I don’t particularly care that she’s blatantly cheating on me. I stopped caring about it after a while, really.” His best friend replied as if it was an obvious matter that everyone knew. “Now then –”

That commending tone for mere two words froze whatever remarks that threatened to escape from his mouth. It was unnerving how his best friend does not seemed like someone he had known for years. Instead, he had an inkling feeling that Tony was emanating the S.I. CEO persona… at least that was what he believed.

“What is Asgard’s stance on dealing with the aftermath of Chitauri army?”

“All-Father sent Loki and I to defeat the remnants, Friend Stark. We found out that Loki was mind-controlled into bringing the army here.” Thor rumbled with furrowed brows. “I do not understand what that has to do with it what we are discussing about you.”

“I can speak for myself, you oaf!” Loki shot a withering glare at the other God.

Rhodey wanted to interject into the conversation, but words disappeared on the tip of his tongue when a cold smirk appeared on the etch of Tony’s face. It was quite unnerving to see his best friend behave like someone entirely different.

“It’s common knowledge what your thoughts were when Avengers Initiative formed.” The billionaire began, pocketing the cellphone and standing up from that seat. Tony slowly walked towards the ceiling to floor length window, only to pause momentarily to face them once more. “Iron Man, yes. Tony Stark, no. Remember that, Miss Romanoff? Director Fury?”

He had to admit it was chilling how formal Tony was being.

“What does have to do with anything, Stark?” Clint rebutted with a sneer. “Get to the point.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I will.”

The airy response did not calm Rhodey at all. In fact, it only made his heart thunder loudly enough that he was hearing it in his ears.

“One could almost say that my recovery from Siberia bunk incident was miraculous.” A secretive smirk only further ignited his – their – confusion. “However, that does not mean I will operate as Iron Man henceforth. After all, why should I work with a team who only uses my money and gadgets, and expects me to cleanup after them?”

“Tony, you know it’s not like that.” Rhodey had to interject with a frown, confused by why the billionaire was stating this now.

“Yeah, Mr. Stark! You know how much I appreciate the new suit you gave me!”

Instead of reassuring them or admitting that it was a mere joke, Tony simply flicked a glance at them… almost like an acknowledgement for their remarks. It was puzzling how his nerves settled after that gaze, but he didn't have time to contemplate on the matter. 

“As of this moment, S.I. will be pulling its funds from SHIELD and from Avengers Initiative. Additionally, I, Anthony Edward Stark, will resign from Avengers Initiative program.” That announcement came out of the blue, and he (and the others, Rhodey speculated) could only stare at the billionaire in stunned silence.

“What the hell, Stark! You can’t just quit because things didn’t go your way!” Nick barked angrily.

“I can, and I just did.” Tony replied in a bored tone. “It’s laughable if you expect me to work with people who hid information about the deaths of Howard and Maria Stark. Not to mention, with people who only use me to finance their little projects.”

“It’s childish for you to quit when things don’t go your way, Stark.”

Rhodey flinched when he saw the icy glare his best friend directed at Clint, even if that gaze wasn’t directed at him. It made him want to crawl into a hole and hide until next year - it scared him how frightening Tony could look.

“Do you want to repeat that, mortal?” The way those words sounded made it seemed like Tony was an entirely different being. “I highly suggest you tread carefully – you are walking on thin ice with your obnoxiously ignorant remarks.”

“Tony, calm down. I’m sure Clint didn’t mean it.” Steve added in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

“Don’t tell me to calm down when you were the one who killed me in that Siberia bunker, Rogers.” Tony retaliated with fury laced behind those words. “Anthony Edward Stark died on that day. As for who I am, well… good luck trying to decipher it yourself.”

His best friend didn’t wait to hear what they had to say to that revelation and left the meeting room altogether. Suffice to say, Nick Fury did not take well to news Tony gave, and was this close to foaming at the mouth.

“Well, I can’t say I didn’t expect it.” Loki commented with a knowing smirk. “The Greeks can be unforgiving when they’re crossed. You’re lucky that he didn’t curse you.”

“Greeks? Stark isn’t Greek. If anything, he's half-Italian.” Sam uttered with furrowed brows.

“Greeks… Ares… wife? Oh my god, Mr. Stark is Hephaestus!” Peter commented with reverence yet still somehow managed to sound like it was an expected thing. “I can’t believe my mentor is a God! Not that I have anything against Thor or Loki, really. B-but Mr. Stark! Hephaestus!”

“Wait, what? How did you come to that conclusion?” Rhodey gaped blinkingly, and pondered how he could have missed it while he ignored Peter’s spazzing in the background. “My best friend is a God. Wait a minute… he is still my best friend, right?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Mr. Stark! I can’t call you Hephy! That’d be awkward. And strange. Not that there is anything strange with your name, sir!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the third chapter, everyone. I originally planned this to be a one-shot, but tah-dah~! It has three chapters now. 
> 
> Because Peter needs a chapter of his own, so he gets one. Expect hand-wavy Greek myth where Hephy is not deformed or unattractive.

Peter liked to believe that he could take unexpected news in calm stride, considering he'd like to believe he was as cool as a cucumber when a radioactive spider bite turned him into Spider-Man. So, when he figured out the puzzle that was Mr. Stark – whom he concluded (with unexpected help from Loki) was indeed Hephaestus, he could only stare at the man (God?) in fascinated awe.

It explained so much. Really.

The man, or should he start saying God (he still doesn’t know the proper word for it), at the forefront of technological advances was the God of Blacksmiths, Metalworking, Carpenters, Craftsmen, Artisans, Sculptors, Metallurgy, Fire, and Volcanoes. Yes, he went a little nerd there – but this was about Mr. Stark. He never would have guessed that Mr. Stark was a Greek God in disguise.

Then again, he supposed it was something he should expect from Mr. Stark. The billionaire was exceptional in every area imaginable – it explained so much about all these inventions: the first Iron Man suit with a pile of scraps in a cave, a miniature Arc Reactor in the same cave, DUM-E, U, BUTTERFINGER, JARVIS, FRIDAY, his Spider-Man suit with KAREN, among other inventions for Stark Industries. To put it very simply, he did his research on Mr. Stark, and the technology simply astounded him.

“Well, that was rather unexpected.” Thor commented blinkingly. “Brother, did you know about this?”

“I had my suspicions. After all, my powers didn’t work on him when I was under Thanos' control.” Loki replied with a small shrug. “I admit I am a little jealous that he is able to combine science and magic rather artfully, and make exquisite weaponries out of it.”

“A reason why Greek and Roman pantheons are widely known.” Thor rumbled with a rueful smile. “A warrior is only as good as his weapon in battlefield.”

There was a fond exasperated sigh escaped from Loki at that remark and a, “Of course you would say that, you oaf.”

Those remarks cemented Peter's logic that Mr. Stark was indeed Hephaestus.

“But why would Tony be here posing as a mortal?” Mr. Rhodey questioned with a confused look.

Yes, that was something he would like to know as well.

As far as he was concerned, there was no need for Hephaestus to grace the Earth and blend with humans. The news baffled Peter that the major technological and weaponry advance (back when Stark Industries was still a weapon manufacturer) came from Mr. Stark himself. After all, he bet his savings that there was no one else on Earth – not that he asked everyone, and he certainly couldn’t do that – would have better weapons or technology than Mr. Stark.

Wakanda might be a contender, but he would still bet his money on Mr. Stark.

“Most likely because of his issues with Aphrodite.” Loki answered as if it was an old news. “The Goddess of Love and Beauty has more lovers than you thought Anthony would with his supposed playboy reputation.”

“Wait a minute, shouldn’t we call Mr. Stark, Mr. Hephaestus instead?” Peter interjected with a frown to show his confusion. “I don’t want him to smite me just because I called him the wrong name.”

He doesn’t understand why Thor and Loki was chuckling at him, especially when his life was on the line.

“I highly doubt Anthony would smite you for that, little spider.” Loki commented with an amused smirk. “You are under his protection, after all.”

It took all of Peter’s willpower not to let out that manly squeal that was threatening to escape from his mouth. He doesn’t know what he did, but he earned a favor? Protection? From a God. From an actual God that was Mr. Stark. Ned would so flip if he heard this. Then again, he doesn’t know if he could tell Ned that Mr. Stark is actually Mr. Hephaestus.

“Wait, so Tony is actually Hephaestus?” It seemed Mr. Rhodey was in denial.

Peter certainly doesn’t blame the man – if he found out that his best friend was actually a Greek God, he would be in similar boat as well.

“Indeed.” Loki smirked at Mr. Rhodey’s gaping expression, and added in a rather deathly calm tone, “If you believe that his appearance is unpleasant like in your myths, you are wrong. There are no imperfections among the Olympians.”

Peter mulled over the words, silently wondering how Mr. Stark truly look if the Greek myths he read were wrong. It made him wonder just how much truths the myths held, and how much of it were fabricated.

It certainly was an eyeopener for him when he found out that Mr. Loki does not have four children like the myths said, and Sleipnir, Fenrir, Jörmungandr, and Hel were his creations made out of seiðr. They were not eight-legged horse, a giant wolf, or a giant serpent that could wrap its tail around Earth many times over, or a woman with half skeleton body. Instead, Loki revealed that Sleipnir was God of Travel and Air, Fenrir as the God of Revolution, Jörmungandr as the God of Rebirth, and Hel as the Goddess of Death.

“Like hell it matters if Stark is a Greek God or not.” Mr. Fury growled out angrily and directed that anger towards Mr. Steve. “Rogers, what the hell did you do to Stark in Siberia?”

“Yeah, Steve. You told us that Stark was fine and he was ‘just cooling off’.” Mr. Wilson added with a frown. “Did you lie to us?”

“Indeed, he did.” Loki chimed in easily without giving Mr. Steve a chance to answer. “Anthony had to watch a video of his mortal parents’ death with his killer standing near him. And Mr. Sometimes-my-teammates-don’t-tell-me-things knew about their deaths for many years and didn’t bother to tell Anthony.”

“No, that’s a lie! It wasn’t Bucky’s fault!”

“Shut your mouth, mortal.” Mr. Loki’s frosty tone chilled him in fear even though it wasn’t directed at him. “You disgust me with your lies and deceit. You who is presumed to represent honor and justice have none yourself. Hephaestus is too kind to seek revenge on you, if he is only withdrawing his funds and resigning as an Avenger. I cannot say that his family will react the same should they find out.”

Peter blinked confusingly when he saw that Mr. Thor paled considerably at the mention of Mr. Stark’s family of Greek Gods.

“I still have nightmares about that time when Lady Persephone turned me into a dandelion for three months for choking Anthony.”

“You deserved it, you fool.”

He doesn’t know which news surprised him – the fact that Mr. Thor choked Mr. Stark for whatever reason (he doesn't want to know), or that this Lady Persephone turned Mr. Thor into a dandelion for three months, or Mr. Thor survived being a dandelion for said three months. From what he saw when he looked at Mr. Loki… Apparently, Mr. Loki does not care that his brother got turned into a dandelion.

♤☆♤☆♤☆♤☆♤

When he saw Mr. Stark the very next day, Peter had to do a double-take to ensure that he was not seeing things. He was unsure if the person standing across the room was Mr. Stark or someone else entirely, especially when that person looked genuinely young – almost his age, if he dared to say so.

He repeatedly opened and closed his mouth with his eyes widened in shock when the person looked over to his direction. It was indeed Mr. Stark.

Peter wouldn’t even bother to question how it was possible for Mr. Stark to de-age to his age. He chalked it up to a Greek God thing, because really, he doesn’t want to think about the science behind this.

His brain wasn't ready for this despite what Mr. Thor said about magic being “science we don’t understand yet”. He accepts that, truly, but this…de-aging thing (science? Magic?) was something his brain could not comprehend.

“Kid.” Mr. Stark acknowledged his presence with a nod and an amused smirk.

“Mr. Stark!” He did not squeak at all. Nope. “Or should I call you Mr. Hephaestus?”

“Haven’t I told you to call me Tony, kid? How many times have I told you to call me Tony? I should start charging you a quarter every time you call me ‘Mr. Stark’. Eh, I’m rich enough, so forget that.” He returned that inquiry with owlish eyes because there was no way – _no way –_ he could call Mr. Stark by his first name. Specially not after he found out that the aforementioned person turned out to be a Greek God. “Or you can call me Hephy. All my family does.”

Peter paled considerably at the nickname ‘Hephy’. No, there was nothing – _absolutely nothing_ – wrong with that nickname. Absolutely nothing! Besides, if he couldn’t call Mr. Stark by his first name, how could he fathom to utter the nickname ‘Hephy’?

“Mr. Stark! I can’t call you Hephy! That’d be awkward. And strange. Not that there is anything strange with your name, sir!”

Peter silently hoped that his answer was acceptable, and inwardly heaved a deep sigh in relieved when Mr. Stark chuckled. He had no idea what was funny, but that was better than what he hoped – he doesn’t want to get cursed or whatsoever.

“I thought we’re passed that, but eh, whatever floats your boat, Underoos.” Mr. Stark shrugged away the awkwardness between them, like the name doesn’t matter.

“Is that toga you’re wearing, Mr. Stark?” Peter blinked in confusion at the attire.

He never would have thought that he’d wake up one day to see Mr. Stark wearing toga. He understood why Mr. Stark was wearing one – considering Mr. Stark is a Greek God – but it was strange to see the man (God?) in one, nonetheless. Not that he would admit it to anyone.

“Yep. Father – that’s Zeus, if you’re wondering – called for a council meeting.” Mr. Stark explained with an exasperated sigh. “And council meeting calls for formal attire, hence this outfit. It’s been years since I’ve worn this, so it might look strange.”

“No, not at all, sir!” Peter shook his head frantically in denial.

He was not going to touch the subject on Zeus or the council meeting, whatever it may be, even with a ten-meter pole. As curious as he was about those matters, it was something he does not want to know, especially when he remembered about the myths about Zeus throwing Hephaestus off Olympus. He doesn’t know if this was the truth or a mere myth, but he doesn’t want to open the daddy-issues pandora box if it turned out to be true.

Mr. Stark gave an eyeroll at his frantic response, and stated in a deadpanned tone, “Kid, I know I look strange. I think the outfit only works when I’m in my actual form.”

“Your actual form?”

Mr. Stark simply gave a boyish mysterious smirk in reply, and did not bother to elaborate on the matter. So, he decided to change the subject. Again. Goodness, he needed to stop being awkward (more than he would usually be) around Mr. Stark.

“Oh yeah, Mr. Rhodey seemed worried about something. I think you should talk to him.”

“Ah, I forgot to tell platypus about this whole thing. Oops.” Despite those words, Mr. Stark didn’t seem too worried at all. “I hope he’ll forgive me.”

He was mildly curious about why Mr. Stark called Mr. Rhodey 'platypus', yet at the same time, he doesn't want to know Mr. Stark's strange (not that he would admit it out loud) nicknaming ability. After all, he got named 'Underoos', and it was embarrassing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am planning to end this with four chapters, and am planning on expand on this idea in a new story. It's still in the works, but hopefully I'll be able to find time to finish it up and post it soon. I've been reading a lot of fics that left me feeling salty about Team Cap, so there may be salt for Steve and co. in the new work.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So, you’re going to be looking like you’re in your twenties while I grow old and gray?”
> 
> "Basically."

Rhodey inwardly noted that it had been more than a day since he had seen his best friend – he had not seen or heard from the billionaire ever since that day at the meeting. It also didn’t help that Barton was very vocal that his best friend was being dramatic and was not a Greek God like Loki had insinuated. Just from a look, he knew that the other Rogue Avengers agreed with Barton.

“So, Tony is really Hephaestus?” He asked Loki once more that afternoon.

He still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that his best friend was a Greek God. How does one come to terms with that revelation?

It was hard enough when Tony revealed to be Iron Man, and had to lie through his teeth to his superiors and the public. He highly doubted ‘Just a training exercise’ excuse would work, and it certainly would be laughable to use that same excuse in this case.

“It seems you do not believe your friend.” The Trickster God replied with amusement laced in that tone.

“It’s not that I don’t believe him.” He felt the need to explain himself, and heaved a deep sigh as if the world was weighing down on him. “It’s just… I never expected my best friend, whom I’ve known for years, was – is – a God that I’ve read in one of my literature classes in high school.”

“I suppose from a mortal’s point of view, it would be an astounding revelation.” Loki commented gently despite amusement still twinkling in those eyes. “Some Gods are more involved with mortals’ affairs than others. Greek and Roman Pantheons certainly do get involved, from what Hermes told me. If I remember correctly, what you labeled as War World II was a result of a fight between the mortals influenced by the Big Three – Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.”

“...Rogers is going to have an aneurysm if he heard that.”

The Trickster God merely shrugged in an uncaring manner and continued with the explanation, “I know that the mortal named Howard Stark was blessed by Hephaestus himself. I will not delve into your country’s history, but I am positive you are aware that your country would not have won its wars without the help of Stark’s weaponries and its technologies.”

Rhodey nodded in understanding at that clarification. A lot of wars were won because of S.I.’s weapons and technologies which were well ahead of its time.

There was one thing he does not understand, however.

“Tony told me that Howard was a bad father. Why would he choose someone like that?”

“He was looking at the big picture.” Loki replied with a wry smile, which only grew wider at his confusion. “Howard Stark was an intelligent man, who had futuristic ideas without means to construct it. It didn’t matter that Howard wasn’t a family man, all that mattered was if he could advance this civilization to be able to stand on its own feet.”

“If he could influence someone to do that, then he doesn’t need to come down here then.”

It irked him that the Trickster God was eyeing at him like he was an idiot, but he opted not to say anything because he wanted to know the real reason – or as close as real as he could get – behind Tony’s appearance on Earth. It made him ponder if Tony influenced (blessed?) all those brilliant scientists and inventors, then a part of him was curious if he would be an inventor if his best friend did the same to him.

“Howard Stark and his wife died prematurely. It was around the same time that Hephaestus and Aphrodite were having some issues, and needed time away from one another. It gave him the perfect opportunity to escape. Two birds with one stone, I speculate you would say.”

♤☆♤☆♤☆♤☆♤

“Don’t tell me Stark ran away because he couldn’t stand the fact that we knew he’s not really a Greek God or whatever.” Clint commented rather nonchalantly with a sneer laced in that tone.

Rhodey shot an annoyed look towards the archer, and resisted the urge to clock the man. He doesn’t understand how someone could be so ungrateful towards another person.

“I would watch your words, if I were you, Barton.” Thor interjected with a disapproving frown. “As Loki have said previously, the Greeks can be unforgiving, especially when they have been slighted. Hephaestus may be kind in nature, but his siblings will not forgive you for your transgressions.”

“You’re still going on with Stark’s silly game? Do you really believe that he is this Hephaestus?” Wanda sneered mockingly.

“If I may.” He had to smooth his fraying nerves when FRIDAY interjected smoothly. “Boss gave me permission to allow you to view his council meeting. You may hear their conversations, but they cannot see nor hear you. So, if you would focus your attention to the television.”

“Ah, Hephaestus TV. To think that we would use it this way.” Loki nodded approvingly and lounged on a recliner like he owned the furniture.

A confused frown appeared on his face at Loki’s response, but he decided it wasn’t worth the trouble to ask for an explanation. He would know soon enough.

He dismissed the grumblings and complaints from Rogers and that merry band as an unimportant thing. Besides, he had a feeling it was a privilege to be able to watch the Olympians’ council meeting – no other mortals had been able to, after all. He just hoped that other Gods and Goddesses wouldn’t smite them if they knew about this spying (was it spying if his best friend gave permission for it?).

The giant television screen turned to give them a view of a beautiful Greek infrastructure with high ceiling and the views of clouds outside the windows. Sitting around a large oval table were the most beautiful beings Rhodey had ever saw in his life, and he knew that they were the Twelve Olympians that he had read in his literature books.

It didn’t take him long to figure out who Zeus was – the lightning bolt next to a blonde-haired man was the biggest indicator. The long light-blue haired man with a trident was easily Poseidon, and he speculated that the long-haired black hair man on the other side of Zeus was Hades. Those three were easy for Rhodey, but he had no idea who the rest were or where his best friend was amongst them.

_“– with that said, Hephaestus, what are your thoughts on Earth’s defense against this threat? Do you believe they are ready?”_

He gave up trying to locate his best friend when he heard Zeus’s question, and interestingly the camera zoomed in on a young man with semi-long black hair and amber eyes. The usually expressive expression he was so used to seeing on his best friend’s face was gone and replaced with a detached one.

 _“Per your permission, Your Majesty, I’ve advanced the science, technology, and weaponries as far as the mortals can handle. Whether they know how to utilize the items at their disposal would be up to them.”_ Tony – no, Hephaestus – replied in an uncaring yet polite tone. _“My mortal father had this philosophy: Peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy. Mortals need to get over their hubris and realize that there is a bigger threat. Just because I have supplied them with the ‘sticks’ does not mean they can defeat the threat without knowing how to utilize it to its full potential.”_

 _“The current half the team of enhanced – Avengers, as they call themselves – does not care for accountability or responsibility of their actions. Uncle H would have more work if we left the safeguard of Earth’s defense to them.”_ The camera panned to a young man with honey-blonde haired male with azure blue eyes.

 _“In short, they aren’t ready for this war, my King.”_ The camera panned over to Ares, who similarly had the same bored expression as his best friend. _“I’ve assessed them when I went to see Hephy, and they are an arrogant and prideful bunch, simply because they saved the public from an alien invasion once. Not to mention, they don’t respect Hephy for providing them.”_

 _“Let’s not forget about the so-called ‘Civil War’ as the media dubbed it. They attacked Hephy in his mortal form and left him to die in an enemy base. If Hephy was truly a mortal, he would’ve died from the injuries and the cold.”_ The strawberry-blonde haired young woman added with a displeased frown.

Rhodey shot an annoyed look when Rogers opened his mouth to protest against that claim, but a warning glare from Thor silenced him. A comment from the peanut gallery was highly unnecessary. However, the accusing stares Clint, Sam, Scott, and Natasha gave to Rogers did not go unnoticed either.

 _“So, the enhanced mortals aren’t ready for this threat.”_ Hades interjected, making everyone refocused on the topic of the conversation before anyone could go off tangent.

 _“We do have approximately three years before the threat reaches here.”_ A black-haired young woman with striking gray eyes added. _“We can find appropriate replacement and train them to survive against this threat.”_

The Olympian Council agreed to that plan, and his best friend flicked a glance towards their direction with a knowing smirk before refocusing on what Zeus was saying. With a flick of a finger, the Hephaestus TV shimmered until the image of Olympus disappeared and they were staring a blank screen.

“Well, I won’t say it’s a surprise to know this is what the Olympians truly think of you.” Loki commented as if it was an obvious matter, and turned to look at Rogers. “It’s truly laughable if you think you can control Anthony – or rather, Hephaestus. The only person he answers to is his king and father, Zeus.”

Rhodey tuned out the oncoming arguments Rogers had with that remark, and stared at the blank television. It was genuinely a shock to come to terms that his best friend is truly Hephaestus. For some reasons, it wasn’t strange when he first met Thor or Loki, the Norse Gods; however, when he realized that Tony was a Greek God, he had difficulties wrapping his mind around that fact.

Maybe it was because he knew Tony for years, and never suspected it. Or perhaps, Tony behaved more like them – a human – than like a God as Thor and Loki had done.

“They can’t just replace us!” Rogers argued vehemently in that self-righteous tone. “They have no rights to do that!”

“What makes you think you have the rights, Rogers?”

Rhodey resisted the urge to jump in startled at his best friend’s voice, which frankly did not sound like the one he was used to hearing. That tone sounded exactly the same as the one he had heard earlier – cold, detached, and mocking, as if the inquiry was for the sake of being polite.

He looked over to the source of the voice, wondering where it was coming from, and felt a warm gust that made him believe that he was standing next to a campfire. A burst of fire erupted in the middle of the living room, and a shadow walked out of the fire as if it was a very normal thing to do. He silently noted that Tony was still looking like Hephaestus (black hair and white toga), and he had to mentally correct himself (for the umpteenth time) that this was not Tony but Hephaestus.  

Another burst of fire engulfed his best friend’s body before a dark red shirt and a pair of black pants replaced the toga. A simple attire, yet Rhodey had to admit, it looked very good on the Greek God.

Dramatic entrance, indeed.

“You forget that I own Avengers Initiative, and that I funded you and SHIELD.” Hephaestus – there was no way he could call this being before him ‘Tony’ – remarked in a cool detached tone that he had difficulty matching it to his best friend. “If anyone has the right to change the members, it’d be me.”

“You’re not an Avenger anymore, Stark. You don’t have the rights!” Wanda shouted angrily.

“Neither do you.” The Greek God rebutted with a brow raised, silently daring her to question him. “Now, Lady Athena suggested to find a new group of heroes to defend against this threat, which I am positive you have heard. Thank you for your service, but you are not needed anymore.”

Rhodey resisted the urge to snort and snicker the blatant mockery in that last phrase, and had to cover his laughs when he noted how red Rogers was.

“You can’t do that, Tony! Avengers are still needed – **We** are still needed – to fight against this oncoming threat!”

“I can and I will. Besides, I can make the public crucify you and your little merry band, Rogers, by revealing that information.” Hephaestus rolled his eyes at that classic Captain America’s I-Am-Disappointed-In-You stare directed at him. “Not to mention, Lord Hades will be waiting for you to answer to all the deaths you’ve caused not only to me, but also when you went country hopping with Barnes. After all, you killed Anthony Edward Stark.”

“It wasn’t Bucky’s fault!”

Like they haven’t heard that phrase repeatedly whenever Tony made a slight mention about anything related to Barnes.

“What the hell are you talking about, Stark? What do you mean you died? You’re clearly standing right here.” Clint questioned with furrowed brows.

That was what Rhodey would like to know as well. He couldn’t understand why his best friend had said ‘Anthony Edward Stark died’ when the mentioned person was standing right before him – albeit looking godlier than he was used to (and he was used to plenty of Tony Stark flairs), but still alive and kicking.

“The only reason I am still alive is because of my immortal form and powers.” The answer only served to confuse him further, but luckily his best friend seemed to be in the mood to explain. “My mortal body died from internal bleeding in Siberia after the vibranium shield struck my chest – specially the Arc Reactor. There was no way a mortal would be able to survive from that blow. I wouldn’t have survived from it until Apollo unlocked my immortal powers to heal.”

“But you’re here, Tones.” Rhodey commented confusedly in a lost tone.

“I am, honeybear, but at the same time, I am not. I suppose you could say that the character I created – Anthony Edward Stark – died. Game over. Finished. You are seeing me, Hephaestus, in my true form.” It was strange to hear that nickname from someone other than Tony. Then again, this was from Tony, who does not look like Tony. It was very confusing. “Don’t worry, platypus, we are still best friends. You and Underoos are under my protection until your end.”

A wave of relief rushed through his person when he heard that last remark, and he just had to snark, “So, you’re going to be looking like you’re in your twenties while I grow old and gray?”

“Basically.” Hephaestus gave a sagely nod and a cheeky grin. “Unless you want immortality, which I wouldn’t suggest because duties, you know. They’re very boring.”

“As for the rest of you,” His best friend continued coldly to other members in Roger’s merry band. “I dearly hope you’ll make restitution for your actions. If not, I will be making my move and inform the public. Pepper is one scary mortal, which I am sure you know. So, you better be on your good behaviors, mortals.”

Loki was correct in saying that the Greek Gods can be unforgiving. If his best friend, who is as kind as the Norse Gods mentioned, was this scary even with just words and threats, he couldn’t imagine how the rest of Greek Gods and Goddess would be. He doubted he wanted to know since he valued his life.

Rhodey asked, “By the way, can I still call you Tony?” out of the blue when he remembered that important question.

“Of course, sour patch.”

Silence blanketed between the two as they stared at one another, until he gave in and muttered, “Yeah, I still can’t get used to you calling me by all sorts of nicknames in that form.”  

“I’m still me, honeybear.”

That comment explained so much, yet nothing at all. But he supposed he has time to digest the new aspect of his best friend – after all, Tony survived that attack in Siberia and that was all that mattered. The only consolation he had to putting up with Rogers and that self-righteous attitude was that Lord Hades would be waiting for them to answer for their crimes.

He doesn’t understand what the Accords panel was thinking when they reinstated Rogers and the others to the Avengers.

“Platypus, stop thinking too much. You’re getting wrinkles and gray hair."

"And whose fault is that!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And done. 
> 
> This was an idea I had on the back burner for a while. I'm glad that I finally had time to write and complete it. I hope that you enjoyed this too, and many thanks to those who subscribed, bookmarked, gave kudos, and comments. 
> 
> P.S. I may revisit and use this idea in the future, but this work is now marked as complete.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Aphrodite. You don’t curse mortals just because they offended you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An extra chapter because I like spoiling you guys, and also because someone requested it (you know who you are ^-~).

Rhodey would like to say that he took his best friend being a literal God with style and grace… except, he knew he didn't. No, he did not ignore Tony or did anything that could be used for blackmail of any sort, at least he believed he didn't. Nonetheless, he came to terms with the fact his best friend is a literal God, and he was glad to know nothing had changed between the two. Perhaps, except for when Tony (because there was no way he was going change the name) teleported via a funnel of fire every now and then.

What's a heart attack or two between friends, right?

Still, two months had passed since that revelation and so far, he had not seen any new additions to the current lineup of Avengers. He had a sneaking suspicion that something was in the works, but no one (hint: a certain best friend of his) was telling him anything. It also didn’t help that Tony spent hours holed up in a certain workshop, busy with some projects that he couldn’t decipher.

Apparently, ancient Greek was not an elective at M.I.T. and no one gave him the memo that he needed to learn it to decipher Tony's hidden secrets.

Hindsight, and whatnot, you know.

Thus, it was a surprise when he walked in to dining room to see a couple of members of the Olympian Council giving judging gazes at Rogers, and suspicious ones at others. Of course, Loki was peacefully sitting at the breakfast nook, ignoring the chaos in favor of sipping on a cup of tea like this was a normal thing. He wanted to curse at the Norse God, but he held his tongue because it was a very mature thing to do. He could be very mature when the situation called for it, thank you very much. 

“Uh, hi?” He wanted to facepalm at the great first impression he just uttered.

“Ares told us that Hephy lives here.” The young woman with black hair and striking gray eyes remarked. “I'm Athena, by the way.”

“He should be in his workshop.” Rhodey replied, and froze when her calculating gaze landed on him. It was like she was judging him and his character. “I'm James Rhodes.”

Her lips curled into a smile at his introduction (apparently, he passed that inspection?), and she responded with a, “I know.”

He doesn't know if she was referring to knowing his best friend's location or his name, but he didn't comment on it – he valued his life, thank you very much.

“Ma'am, you can't just invite yourself!” A certain Mr. Self-Righteous had the audacity to inject himself to the conversation.

“Steve Rogers.” Athena flicked a glance, looking like the mentioned person was not worth her time.

He had a feeling she already knew everything about Rogers just from uttering his name. Then again, he would not put it pass her especially when he considered that she is Athena, Goddess of Wisdom among other titles.

“I’m Aphrodite.” The young woman with wavy blonde hair and striking blue eyes chimed in with a little wave. Her eyes narrowed when her gaze landed on Rogers and lips downturned into a frown, “Hephy and I may have had a disagreement, but he never cast me out of his home or workshop no matter what, so I’d watch what you’re saying.”

“You're Mr. Stark's wife.” Peter squeaked out with reverence laced in that awestruck tone.

Both Goddesses gave amused looks at Peter, who turned beet red at the sudden attention and stammered out some incoherent words in attempt to steer attention from him. Somehow, he got the feeling that Peter passed whatever tests the Goddesses had for them. 

“You still need to apologize to him, Aph.” Athena chided with a displeased frown.

Rhodey decided right there and then that, as much as he was curious about what was happening between his best friend and Aphrodite, he didn’t want or need to know the details. So, he decided to interject with a, “JARVIS, did you tell Tones about our guests?”

He wasn’t keen on delving into the love affair between two immortal beings, even if one of them happened to be his best friend. His curiosity could wait – Tony wouldn’t mind giving him the cliffnote version if he asked nicely.

“Sir will be arriving in less than ten seconds.”

“You can't just come visit unannounced, Athena.” His best friend complained upon walking into the room. “What if I wasn't here? What if -”

“Oh please, we all know that's not possible. My sources told me that you're here.” The Goddess interrupted coolly with a pointed look. “I wanted to check in the list I asked you. How soon would it take you to finish them?”

Tony gave a put out look that was akin to a pout – he knew his best friend would deny it to bitter end if asked – and grumbled some colorful words under breath.

“It's almost done. I'll have it completed tonight, and ask Hermes to send it to you. Test it, and let me know if I need to make adjustments.”

Athena gave a satisfactory nod at the response, and gave a pointed look with a raised brow to Aphrodite, who silently heaved a sigh at the pressure.

“Can I talk to you in private, Hephy?”

Tony paused to look at her minutely, and nonchalantly said, “Of course, follow me.”

♤☆♤☆♤☆♤☆♤

Rhodey decided to bite the bullet and hedged his question, “I doubt you’re here to check-in on whatever you had Tony make for you.”

He resisted the urge to gulp nervously when Athena’s cool gaze landed on him, nearly forgot to breathe when she gave a smirk in response.

“How astute of you.” She commented as if she was merely discussing weather with him. “No, I know and trust Hephy’s quality when I asked him to make the weapons. He is the one who made our symbol of powers, after all. It’s just an excuse to come here with Aphrodite, so she could apologize and reconcile with him.”

What else could he say without sounding like an idiot? He didn’t know the full story of what happened between Tony and his wife (it sounded very strange when he worded it like that – goodness, Tony with a wife. He never thought that day would come, but it did), so he merely gave a polite nod of understanding. 

However, he had to resist the urge of facepalm when a certain Mr. Self-Righteous gave a stern Disapproved Frown, and said, “It’s very childish of Tony to be holding a grudge to his wife.”

Rhodey was very glad that Athena’s stern gaze wasn’t directed at him – he could feel the room temperature dropped by several degrees even from where he was standing. He almost gave a vindictive smirk when Rogers recoiled at the Goddess’s glare.

“You think you know everything, mortal?”

No one dared to utter a word upon hearing that phrase, but when a loud slurp cut through the silence, Rhodey immediately turned to see that Loki was sipping that cup of tea and refilling it. He was very tempted to go join the Trickster God, and childishly enjoy watching Athena rip Rogers a new one – however!

However, he decided to be mature about this and simply raised a brow to silently say, ‘Are you an idiot? You don’t butt into godly affairs.’ to Rogers.

“You may have worked with Hephy’s mortal form for a handful of years, but that does not mean you know everything about him.” Athena stated in a cool tone that sounded like an undertone of reprimand than anything else.

“Stark is the one with playboy reputation.” Rogers accused, trying to sound like Athena had her facts wrong.

Well, someone doesn’t have a sense of self-preservation or heeded his warning.

A mixture of a snort and choking on a drink broke the tense atmosphere. For a moment, Rhodey had to ponder for a moment if a God could die from choking, and immediately perished the thought. This was Loki, after all – there was no way the Trickster was going out in this unsightly manner.

He still chuckled whenever he remembered Thor regaling the tale of the younger Norse God entering the battlefield dramatically (with smoke and full battle regalia that included a certain horn helmet), and theatrically proclaimed, “Your savior is here!”

But he digressed.

“Oh, don’t mind me. Do continue.” Loki waved away the looks, as if he had not interrupted, and returned to sipping tea.

“So? What of it? He wanted to get back to Aphrodite.” Athena continued as if there weren’t any interruptions. “About time Hephy decided to do something for all the things she had done over centuries they’ve been together. I’m not here to judge their actions since I don’t have the rights to, and much less you.” When Rogers tried to refute that decision, the Goddess cut in with a, “Who gave you the right to judge the actions and decisions of a God and a Goddess? That’s right, no one did.”

Rhodey jumped in startled when he heard his best friend say, “By the way, Athena, tell Ares to stop wrecking his bike. This is my fifth time fixing it for him in the past two months,” with so much nonchalance that he can’t fathom how much Tony heard of their conversation. It wasn’t a secret – not at all, but he doesn’t want Tony to feel hurt (or anything) by it.

He looked back and forth between Athena, Rogers, and his best friend, trying his best not show that he was floundering about what to do or say to make everything right. When Tony gave him a knowing smile, he realized that it wasn't his battle, so he stopped panicking and decided to join Loki with a cup of coffee (he wasn’t a tea person). 

Who knew the Trickster God had the right idea?

“We both know Ares has a thing for racing.” Athena replied in a deadpanned tone. “Maybe you should stop putting new features in his bike. We both know he liked testing them.”

Tony gave a dramatic gasp to that statement, and uttered, “Darling, inventing is my specialty. You can’t tell me to stop. That's like telling me to stop breathing.”

“We are a stalemate then.”

“By the way, Aunt Hestia wants to have a family dinner tomorrow night, so don’t be late.” Aphrodite interrupted as she readjusted his best friend’s collar even if there was no need to do so. Perhaps, she was finding an excuse just to be close to him.

“Of course.”

It sounded and looked like those two reconciled with whatever problems they had. He was curious to know if literatures had been right about their relationship, but at the same time, he doubted he wanted to know. It’s a pandora box that he had no desires to delve into right now.

“Also,” Aphrodite continued, and paused to stare at Tony for a couple of seconds. The warm gaze she had with his best friend melted into icy fury when she turned to look at Rogers. “You. _You_ ungrateful brat. Don’t look like you don’t know your crimes, mortal. I sincerely hope that you realize that your actions have consequences; hence, for the next 48 hours, I curse you.”

A burst of sunset orange light engulfed Rogers as soon as Aphrodite uttered those words. When the light died down, Rhodey blinked a couple of times to ensure that he was not seeing things – where Rogers once stood was a single flower. It was one of the flowers associated with Aphrodite from what he remembered from literatures - an anemone, if he remembered his botany correctly. 

“What the –” Whatever words Barton was going to say immediately disappeared when the Love Goddess’s gaze shifted to his direction.

“Would you care to have a turn as well?” Rhodey had to stifle his snickers when the archer stammered out a negative. He had never seen Barton looked that nervous, and it didn’t help that the Rogue Avengers were nervously eyeing at the white anemone like it would curse them as well.

“Aphrodite. You don’t curse mortals just because they offended you.” Tony chided with a sigh, sounding like this was a common occurrence.

The mentioned Goddess merely rolled her eyes, and replied with fond exasperation, “Honey, you’re too nice for your own good. He’ll survive – don’t worry. It’s just for 48 hours.” She then brushed off invisible dusts off Tony’s shirt, and continued, “I know you’re busy with last details on Athena’s list, but don’t be late for dinner tomorrow at Aunt Hestia’s place, okay? We all know how she is with family dinners.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll be prompt.” Somehow, Rhodey had a feeling that Tony was just saying that to appease her.

He took another sip of his coffee as he watched his best friend exchanged some quiet words with the two Goddesses, who then turned to give a nod at his direction before they disappeared in an array of rose petals.

“Huh, I got an acknowledgment from two Goddesses.” He voiced his confusion with furrowed brows, trying to make sense of what just happened. He had no idea how that happened, but it did. 

Loki’s dry, “Congratulations,” doesn’t fluctuate his good mood at all, and very interestingly, no one dared to comment that Rogers was going to be a flower for the next 48 hours.

“By the way, we don’t have to water Steve, do we?” Wilson’s question only received another bout of laughter from the Trickster God.


End file.
